Instead of drawing crowds with superstar speakers and performers, the participants of the 2008 U.S. Social Forum were the stars. Those who are accustomed to being excluded were at the center, and those who were used to being silenced were heard.

Musicians gathered at 7 locations worldwide on July 7, 2007. According to Al Gore, one of the event's organizers, the concerts marked 'the beginning of a three-year campaign worldwide to deliver information about how we solve the climate crisis.'